Organizers of Google Walkout Call on the Tech Industry to Take Up Their Cause

Labor News

Reprinted from The San Francisco Chronicle by Nick Bastone on December 10, 2018.

This November, thousands of Google employees and contractors around the world walked out in protest of how the company has handled matters of discrimination and sexual misconduct.

On Monday, some of the original organizers of that Google walkout came out to demand an end to forced arbitration in the tech industry, a common practice whereby employees are required to settle any kind of labor disputes privately, by way a company-appointed third party, and not in a court of law.

The employees are demanding that Google end its arbitration policy for all work-related cases, including cases of discrimination, and for the new policy to extend to TVCs — Google’s term for long- and short-term contract workers.

Organizers say ending forced arbitration for all employees was the first demand of the original walkout, though they contend that Google’s response was insufficient. Google said it would begin allowing arbitration for sexual harassment and assault cases for full-time employees only. …